Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-jig

I am quite happy to report that my dear Hubby made it home safely from his “little” ride around the USA.

Complete Loop
Just a little loop around the USA.

It seemed like he was gone for a really long time. Unfortunately, between the extra-busy load at work and a rather long to-do list of chores, I didn’t have much time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the single life. Not that I would prefer being alone all of the time, but brief intervals of being able to do what I want to do, or not do, according to my own schedule and/or preferences does have its perks.

Anyhoo… I was a happy girl when Mike pulled into the garage on Sunday.

Mike in Madawaska, Maine (the fourth corner)
Mike in Madawaska, Maine (the fourth corner)

In all, he rode 10,116 miles (16,280 km) in 14 days. He was gone for 17 days, but spent a day in San Diego with Shannon (our eldest) and her boyfriend, Chris. Then, after making his way north to Washington, he spent a couple of days with Amy (middle kid), her husband, TJ, and the grand kids. (Riding to Spain to visit Eric (our youngest) and his wife, Kelsey, is not an option.)

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Shannon and Mike

 

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Amy and Mike

 

lloyds
Gaige, Amy, TJ, Brianna, Mike, and Joey

He didn’t take nearly as many pics as I would have. But he did capture some especially for me.

Safeway sign in Lakeview, Oregon
Safeway sign in Lakeview, Oregon

Look closely and you’ll see his motorcycle in front of that sign.

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Big Fish Selfie in Ashland, Wisconsin

 

bigfish
How about that for a mount?

Then, a couple days later, he shared this pic of him with the Babe he found in Rumford, Maine.

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Mike and a Babe

Ok, it was some other guy’s Babe.

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Paul Bunyan Selfie

Those selfies made my day, of course.

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Paul Bunyan and Babe

He and I stayed in touch via text messages and phone calls, and we entertained each other with random pics during his trip. Like the next one.

Rain gear, again.
Rain gear, again.

He could’ve just said, “It’s raining. Again.” But pics are more fun.

It pretty much rained on him, more on than off, from around Wallace, Idaho (near the Montana border) to Madawaska, Maine. It was cold, too. He wasn’t a happy traveler. But he persevered. He didn’t really have a choice, though, did he?

At least it wasn’t like the torrential rain he drove through in East Texas. Or the tornado-spawning thunderstorm he sat out in the wee morning hours on May 25 in Del Rio, Texas.

He knew, but didn’t tell me at the time, that that tornado hit about six miles (9.65 km) from his hotel.

Thick fog in Duluth, Minnesota.
Thick, Superior fog in Duluth, Minnesota.

That fog was courtesy of Lake Superior. He says it looked much thicker in person.

He did come home with a pretty interesting tan.

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Tan Lines

And here he is with me, shortly after his arrival back at the Virginia homestead.

IMG_0908
Yay! He made it!

Now we can get back to relative normalcy.

I wonder what’ll be next?

Four Corners Tour, Complete
Four Corners Tour, Complete

If you enjoyed following along and wondered how the tracking was accomplished, here’s the scoop.

He used the SWConnect for iOS phone app and the SpotWalla personal location manager. You can learn more on the SpotWalla site.

I think I’ll try it out on my next adventure. 🙂